Strip of taper pin connectors



Jan. 22, 1957 Q. BERG 2,778,097

STRIP 0F TAPER PIN CONNECTORS Filed March 24, 1950 United States PatentSTRIP 0F TAPER PIN CONNECTORS Quentin Berg, New Cumberland, Pa.,assignor to Aircraft-Marine Products Inc., Harrisburg, Pa.

Application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,795

3 Claims. (Cl. 29-1935) This invention relates to applicators forapplying plugin connectors to wire leads and particularly to an improvedconnector strip suitable for use with such applicators. Wire leads, eachhaving at each end a plug-in connector, especially of the smaller or pintype sizes, are used extensively, for example, in making the requirednumerous electrical connections in complicated, electrically-operatedtabulating machines or the like, a comparatively large number of suchleads being usually required for a single machine.

To facilitate the inserting of such connectors into the appropriateterminal sockets and the establishment of good electrical connections,it is important that the entering end of each plug or pin besubstantially perfectly smooth and preferably rounded. Formerly suchpins or plugs were made upon screw machines and a ferrule, attached toone end of the pin or plug, was used to connect the pin to the bared endof the lead wire. It is likewise important that the pin portionsconverge uniformly from the ferrule to the socket entering end of thepin.

One object of the present invention is to make such plugs or pins, withintegral insulation piercing ferrules, by stamping up out of sheet metalthe pin ends of the connectors being shaped into substantially assatisfactory final operative form as with those made by screw machines.Another object of the invention is to so make such plugs or pins thatthey can be supplied integrally connected in strips with the ferruleends left open upon one side to receive the ends of the lead wires andthus facilitate the assembling of the leads and the insulation piercingor contact making action, and with the opposite shaped endssatisfactorily smooth for their intended use after severing from thestrip. It is also an object to so design the converging or taper pinforming portions of these connectors and the strip that they can besatisfactorily applied without deformation by applicator machines usedto complete the attachment of the pins or plugs to lead wires.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved connectorstrip in which the connectors are so integrally connected endwise as tofacilitate presenting them in wire end receiving position in theapplicator machine, a further object of the invention being theprovision of means for insuring a substantially smooth socket: enteringend on the taper pin or plug after the connector has been severed fromthe succeeding connector of the strip.

Other objects, important features and advantages of the invention, towhich reference has not specifically been made hereinabove will appearhereinafter when the following description and claims are considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is aperspective view, somewhat enlarged, of the novel connector strip of thepresent invention showing the plug or pin portion uniformly convergingor tapering from ferrule to the end or tip;

Figure 2 is a view showing one of the finished connectors after it hasbeen applied to the unstripped end 2,778,097 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 ofan insulated lead wire and been detached from the partially completedconnector strip;

Figure 3 is a perspective detail of the essential operative elements ofthe applicator;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the mechanism shown in Figure3, with the parts in the positions which they assume just before theconnector is applied to the lead wire, and with parts broken away;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail on the same section as Figure 4, butshowing the position of the parts at a later stage of their operationjust as the connector applying operation is completed;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section showing the connector end wiping diewhich cooperates with the shear plate, and

Figure 7 is a view of a contact socket ferrule and of a connector aboutto be inserted in the socket, the purpose of this view being toillustrate the importance of providing the connector with a smoothsocket entering end.

As just pointed out in the description of Figure 7, it is important thatthe taper pin connectors 2 which are to be applied to the circuitcompleting lead wires 4 have the socket-entering end 6 smooth andpreferably rounded, as shown in Figure 7, or conical, so that there willbe no excrescence on this end which might interfere with its easyinsertion into the socket. Such sockets 9, in one important use asshown, are mounted in panels of insulation 8 and are usually providedwith connector guiding troughs 10 on the end of the metal ferrules 9which are open at the top and spread laterally at 11. If the end 6 ofthe connector 2 be not substantially smooth, any excrescence orroughness may catch upon the end edge 10 and interfere with the properinsertion of the connector 2 into the socket.

To facilitate rapid application of the connectors 2 to the lead wires 4,the connectors are preferably formed in a continuous strip such as shownin Figure 1 in which the pin end of one connector is integrallyconnected to the ferrule end of the next connector throughout the strip,these connectors being stamped up from sheet metal, the lateral edges ofthe pin forming portions of the blank strip being shaped to form in themeeting of said shaped edges a pin uniformly converging from end to endthereof, and the pin ends being substantially completed, as shown,except for the integral connecting short strip 12 which connects thecenter of the pin end of one connector to the ferrule of the next, thestrip 12 being integral also with the ferrule of the next connector. Inshaping the socket entering end 6 of the connector in the manufacture ofthe connector strip, it will be seen that this end has been rounded overon all sides into approximately its finished condition except for thisconnecting strip 12 which projects from the rounded over tip of the pin,in this case from a point substantially opposite the tapering meetingedges 1414 in the blank. This strip must, therefore, be severed bothfrom the tip of the connector being applied and from the ferrule of thenext connector in the process of applying the counector to the lead wire4.

To facilitate the application of the ferrule end 16 of the connectorupon the end of the lead wire 4 and the forming of a good electricalconnection between the connector and the lead wire, the ferrule end 16of the connector, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 is left open on top, thatis, the edges 14 of the ferrule part of the connector are leftupstanding or even flared out, and then crimped down after the wire isinserted to meet and form the completed ferrule,

In order to make a suitable electric connection between the connectorand the insulated lead wire, insulation piercing teeth 18 are punched upon the inner face of the ferrule 16 into such. a position that they willengage these' figures. by this applicator in timedrelation:

eiss and pierce the insulation of the unstripped endof-the lead wire 4and thus he forced into good electrical contact with the lead wire whenthe upturned edges 14' of are ferrule-are-curleii dowii intomeetingrelation-to'each other and the ferrule- 266 is 'crimp'edinto grippingrel-a- 't 1o'n -to the'l'e'adwire end. Not only do the insulationpiercing teeth 18 insure the desired goodelect'rical' conn'ectionljetweenthe c'onnector and the lead' wire, but, When theferruleiscrimped' into gripping relation, these teeth ls-also increasethe mechanical engagement (i. e. the pull-outstrength) of theconnection;

A= novelapplicat'oris illustratedin Figures 3-6 inclusiveforappl-yingthe connectors of the present invention to theken'ds of thelead wires successively inserted int-he respective ferrules of thesuccessive connectors, as they aresuccessivelypresentedin the endposition shown in There are'essentiallytour steps carried out (11) Thestrip of connectors 2 1'6 is first fed forward-between the guide plates19 until the end connector -111 the position shown in Figure 3, justbeyond that shown in Figure 4.

(2) fhe press head (not shown) moves down carrying the crimping die 24,the shear plate 34) and the pusher plate 42. As plate 36' moves down theinner edges of the part '34 guide or cam the connecting strip 14 intoaccurately centered positionwith respect to the forming notch 48. At thesame time the backs of these curved portions 34 (as shown inFigure 4)engage the end edges of t'he ferrule 16 and cam them back to a precisepositionifor shearing oif the strip 12.

- 3) Further movement of the press head brings the shear plate 30 at theend of recess 36 into contact with the strip-12; and at about the sameinstant the crimping die -24: engages the ferrulexportion 14' of theconnector 2.

4 As the shear plate 3!) begins to shear through the strip 12, thepusher 42 engages thetip of pin 2 andthus shears strip-12 at the tip 6of pin 2, the strip 12 being -thu's put under tension'as it is pusheddown over the edge of the anvil shear plate 44. At this same time thecrimping dies 22 and 24 are engaging the ferrule 16 more andmoretightly.

5) When the shearing of strip 12 is complete, one piece'58' thereofbeing pushed out between shear anvil 26 and anvil 44 and another piece46 being" pushed up into the recess-.54 of plate 42 from which it isblown out, the ferrule 16-has become sufficiently engaged-in thecrimping dies22--4 to resist longitudinal movement.

(6-) Finalmovement of the: press completes the crimping of the ferrule,with some longitudinal extrusion of its metal. Boththis extrusion andthe swinging of the pin andfwhile the ferrule end-16 of the connector isheld in the ferr-ule crimping dies the connecting strip 12 betweenitvand thenext connector is punched out in two pieces, one end of thissection being sheared close to the endof the ferrule of the nextconnector and the other end being cut otf close to the end 6 of the pinpart of the con- Hector which is being applied. Following the punchingout of the connectingstrip 12, the sheared end 6 is subje'cted to africtional Wiping or burnishing step to insure the smoothing down of anyportion of the connector that may still'have been left attached to theend 6 after the shearing operation.

The connector strip is fed, by any suitable feeding mechanism, ferruleend first, so that the: ferrules of the successive connectors of theconnector strip are brought fsuccessively into crimping relation tolower and upper crimping 'dies' -zz and 24. When the ferrule is inzcrimp4 ingrelation to the dies ZZand-M the end of thenext ferrule of thestrip will bepressed against the rear face of the shearing plate 30 by aspring detent 31 engaging one of the connectors 2 in the strip beingfed. Thus the shearing is accurately related to the end edge of ferrule16. A punch opening 28 shaped to receive cooperating shear plate 30serves as a precision guide for the shear plate.

The plate 30, as shown, has an opening 32 that straddles the stripllbefore shearing off and punching out a portion thereof, the lower partof the slot in the punch 30 being somewhat wider: than thestrip ofconnectors; while the narrow part 36 of the slot accurately fits theconnecting strip 12. As shown particularly in Figure 5, the shearing offof the strip 12 leaves a straight edge on a round.

With the connector still held by the crimping dies 22 and 24', theoperation of'the pusher plate 42' forces the end '6 of theconnector downover the face of plate 44 and into the forming no-tc'h lfifivith suchendwise pressure that the part of strip 12 still attached-tome end 6 isforged into the tip 6 conforming to theshape of the notch 48. In theembodiment shown, the bottom edge ofthe pusher fi is at about 92"" withits face thus 'malcing it approximately tangent to the surface of thepin 2 which it contacts-Q The wiping action as thetip 6 is-pushed downinto notch 48, insuresthe smooth rounded surface on end 6 of theconnector. The opening 52 between the intu'rned edges allows suchliow'of metal as may be necessary when any part o'f-the strip 12 thatmaystill remain attached to the connector end is-for'ge'd into the tip.

Topr'ovide for the discharge'ofthe' pieces 46 sheared off from thesuccessive pin ends 6' the-sizingpunch 42 is P ovidedon it'srear facewith a recess 54 into whichthese pieces 46 maybe received and from whichthey are discharged laterally, e. g.,--by an airiblas't.

It willbe understood that-:the operations of the shear plate-30- andofthe pusher plate 42 need-notbe a distinct or marked succession, butmaybe substantially simult-aneous.

I claim:

1. A-t'ap'er pin-type connectorfor use in strip form in aconnectorapplying machine comprising a pin .portion and a ferrule forming portionintegral therewith, said' ferrule forn'iing portion-being a L l-shapedchannel with a pair of upstanding ears having sides substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axislof said strip, said pin portion beingshaped up from sheet metal with the pin portion having tapering edgesabutting to form an elongated tapered tubular pinwhichlinearlyconvergesfrom the-ferrule-forming portion-to the socket-enteringend of the pin, and a sh'orhnarrow connecting portion of sa d stripintegrally-extending from thevpin end to aferruleforming-end of theadjacentconnectorfor integrally. joining like connectors in a stripofsuch connectors, the short connecting portion extendingsfrom said pinend-lying opposite the sideof the pinaxis from the abutting: edgesof,the sheet metal forming said pin.

2. A-taper pin connector substantially as set forth in claim 1' whereinthe leading edges of said tubular pin at said socket-entering-endconverge inwardlytoward the longitudinalaxis of the pin: to definesrounded nose for the pin at said socketentering .end.

3. A taper pin connector substantially as set forth in claim1-.whereinsaidconnecting-portion of said strip ex- .tends longitudinallyfromzsaidkpin end and inwardly toward the va xis .of said elongatedtubular pin portion.

ReferencesGited in the-file ofthis patent UNITED PATENTS40therfireferucszpn ifollbwing page) UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,446,198Socke Aug. 3, 1948 8 1905 2,494,137 Martines Ian. '10, 1950 33 giggi g2:1906 2,562,702 David et a1. J ly 31, 1951 1,5071916 Granat "1:11:11:Sept. 9, 1924 2,631,213 Martin 1953 1,976,929 E1110: Oct. 16, 1934 5FOREIGN PATENTS 5155i??? 5352i2215733331.?23' 3% 1312 1031* GreatBritain 2,427,176 Aldeen Sept. 9, 1947

